Parallel Thoughts 2016
by HelenTheMoon
Summary: Drabble and One-shot series, originally written for the 2016 Arc-V April challenge, I am now completing and publishing my unfinished chapters. Days 1 and 19, 2, 3, 4 and 5, 8, 9 are up.
1. Day 1 and Day 19

**Day 1: BANG! and Day 19: War**

It was quiet. _Too_ quiet. In fact, if there was anything that Barret, and any Academia soldier that was with him at the time, had learnt about the Synchro Dimension in their previous excursion, in the few hours they had been there, that was that there was no such thing as silence in the City. Crazy reporters, worn out, enraged, rioting crowds with tattoos on their faces, duels on motorcycles of all things, infrastructure that _changed locations_ , and a zombie-like police force, there was hardly anything in this Dimension that could called normal – much less _quiet_.

Therefore, the sight that greeted Barret was more than just a little confusing. It was downright _wrong_. There was not a single soul in the streets, not even the countless homeless people that usually littered it. There was not any sound other than the occasional stray dog or cat. The night sky with its stars and the galaxy in the distance, was visible plain and clear to see for the first time in forever, with all the light pollution finally gone. All the power in the City had gone out – in the City! The Synchro Dimension! The very symbol of endless energy and resources! Honestly, no matter in which area of this glass, steel and concrete white colossus you lived in, the lights going out outside a duel was unheard of.

That being said, the lights going out _during_ duels was actually quite common. The most powerful cards here could bring not only the opponents, but the entire City to its knees. It was a mild concern for Barret; the Academia was still unable to determine whether the City's complicated power network, based on duel energy, the Duel Runners of its very citizens, and a central core at an unknown location, would affect their Academia-made Duel Disks. There was high chance that even if a single Obelisk Force soldier decided to summon Antique Gear Chaos Giant, every duel going on at the time would have to be stopped simply because of lack of sufficient energy. Considering that the Duel Energy was up until very recently monitored by Jean-Michel Roget, a former Academia agent, that was a very likely scenario.

However, right now, there was obviously no one dueling. No, this feeling was more than just a _gut_ feeling. There was something terribly wrong here. The whole setting made his instincts scream "It's a trap!", but him mind dismissed that as nonsense. There was simply no way for the entire population of a city of over ten million residents to just vanish, was there?

"Sir, please take a look at this!". Barret turned his searching, one-eyed gaze to the soldier who had called out to him, and then to the direction said soldier was pointing at.

"What in the-?". It was a wormhole. There was a gigantic, inter-dimensional, and very much unstable wormhole in the sky, just above the City's Security Headquarters, sparkling with swirling green light and crackling with lightning. The wormhole was enormous, far larger than anything Barret had ever thought possible, and it could easily absorb the entire City in the near future. It was a miracle it had not already done so. In fact, the skyscraper that once housed the most prestigious law enforcement unit in the City was now apparently gone, though from their angle, and since they were on ground level, it was hard to tell. Yet another consequence of Roget's betrayal.

 _The residents of this Dimension cannot have possible been swallowed by the wormhole_ , thought Barret to himself. _If they had, this Synchro Dimension would be highly unstable. Did they evacuate the City to avoid such a risk?_

Barret contemplated on his current predicament for a few moments, and then proceeded to contact the other squads Captains. "This is Captain Barret, of the eighth squad, to all units. Do you copy?". The question was met with several affirmative responses. As the experienced war veteran half-expected, there were no sightings of people in the other regions either. "Do not enter any establishments yet.", warned them Barret, playing it safe. "More than likely, this City has been evacuated. Priority should be the investigation of the wormhole. Keep your guard up, and report anything unusual.". With a threat like that literally over their heads, there was no telling what would happen to them.

All the teams did as asked. Slowly but surely, the various Academia squads started making their way towards the center of the City. For as long as long a minute could be, that is.

Then, there was a bang.

"It's a fiiiIIIIIIGHT!" – the lights came back.

Within a single second, light came back to the City, restoring it to its former extravagant glory, and effectively blinding any and all Academia soldiers. "Welcome, Academia!", a voice sounded from the City's monitors. "In case you couldn't tell, we came up with a plan to kick your asses!".

It was an ambush. It was a freaking ambush. And they fell right into it.

The City came back to life with a roar, both literal and figurative, as a whole bunch of people _jumped_ out of the buildings surrounding them, shouting "Revolution!", while all bridges, streets and Duel Lanes came to life, emerging from the ground. Barret dodged just in time to avoid an incoming street sign, but not to avoid the gunshot. The shot hit him on the left shoulder, but the wannabe assailant was already gone – even as the bullet hit one of his men.

 _This_ Dimension had no intention to Duel. Their intention was to get rid of the threat _by any means necessary_. This invasion would be nothing like the XYZ Dimension.

His squad managed to get out alive, as expected – but not without any scars. Only thirty seconds and Barret had already lost a few men, and more than half of the assailants had managed to get away without getting carded. The horn of a vehicle came from behind him and Barret slammed himself on the wall to avoid being run over by the mini-van that barely fitted in the alley. Not all his men were that lucky. The driver did not even slow down. From the distance several gunshots, screams, yelling and very loud music were heard.

"IS THIS YOUR PLAN, YOU COWARDS?!".

He gathered his remaining, still shocked men and ordered them to ready their Duel Disks. Barret summoned Panther Predator just in case.

This City had no intention to Duel. Barret barely noticed the music that started playing behind them as they left.

In the other alleys the situation was even worse, just as he had feared. He found several collapsed soldiers and citizens, along with other people struggling in more "old-fashioned" duels, betting everything on their physical prowess. _Why haven't they returned to the Academia? Aren't their Duel Disks-_ His thought was cut in half. The soldiers had been stripped of their Duel Disks. Barret helped the soldiers take out the remaining citizens. "Was it just them?", he asked the survivors.

"No, sir.", replied one of them, a Ra yellow. "They ran as soon as they were done. They took the Duel Disks and the cards of the sealed Duelists with them.". A hit-and-run strategy, to ensure as little losses as possible. As much as he hated to admit it, it was clever.

Several minutes later – or was it a few hours? – Barret was certain that someone, or many, were targeting him. He had had to avoid countless gunshots as he tried to reach the Duel Palace. He was certain that whoever was calling the shots in this operation here, they had made their base there. However, in order to get there, he had to get on the Tops' regions and reach the port. Barret was only left with four men by this point, and the music was louder than ever.

Speed was of outmost importance here.

Gritting his teeth to endure the pain from his bullet wound on his left shoulder, and not even turning around to help the other soldiers, Barret made a run for the Duel Palace. He hated this. He absolutely _hated_ this. Leaving comrades behind. Honorable soldiers. Lost to all this scum. He was a man of moral. He always took care of his squad better than he took care of himself. He had always faced the danger bravely, all by himself. He had never ran away. This City had no such morals. To them "protecting" meant running. "Protecting" meant gather as many people as they could to overwhelm their enemies. "Protecting" meant get done with things as fast as possible.

These people had no honor. They had _nothing_. Nothing but their lives. They were like savage beasts. He noticed them dumping several Academia Duel Disks in the sewers.

Soon, Barret found a way to get to the higher levels, through the Duel Lanes. Countless Duel Runners and vehicles, whether on their own or in large groups, were running on the streets at full speed. There were not as many people here as before, and no one was fighting. Barret could tell that every person here was a duelist. Finally.

Music echoed from bellow. Barret was getting an increasingly ominous feeling by it.

Barret and his few men started jogging towards the Duel Palace. If any duelist approached, they would see them coming easily. He was certain that his skills would be enough to face any duelist of this Dimension. _Are you sure?_ , asked him a little voice in his head. He ignored it.

For a long time they managed to proceed undisturbed, and Barret was pleased to notice that several Obelisk Force units had made it to the Duel Lanes as well. Finally, they were getting the upper hand!

He was wrong. "It's a Revolution!", roared the voice on the speakers once again, and the citizens roared back. Then the Duel Lanes started moving, and everyone was astonished to witness all the roots that connected the Tops' regions with the Commons' regions disconnect. "Are they abandoning their own people?!", roared Barret in shock and rage.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that.", a man said. The war veteran was stunned to hear the voice from earlier come out from his own Duel Disk's communication system. "Every single Academia unit is on the Duel Lanes. Those who are left bellow do not stand a chance, even if you call for reinforcements. This is how we fight. Just like a hundred soldiers from your Dimension do the job of one man, moving as one unit stripped of their individuality, we reflect this City's summoning method; by ourselves, we can't do much. But once something triggers our reaction – the tuner monster – we all aim towards a single goal – the summoning – and by putting together our efforts one by one – the levels – we create something huge!". The connection was suddenly cut, leaving Barret questioning. How was this person so sure of themselves?

"Squad, follow me.", he ordered him men. "Avoid the larger groups. We're heading to the Duel Palace.". It was the thing he could think of.

"Yes, sir!".

Very soon, the movement on the streets was replaced by chaos, as fights between the soldiers and the turbo duelists broke out. Things seemed to be more or less even, and that was not a good sign. Fortunately, the power was not out yet, and Barret's squad was lucky enough not to run into anyone. They still had a long way to go, and Barret was not abandoning any more men. The same could not be said for the other squads, by the looks of it.

"Sir, there is something that has been bothering me.", said one of the men, sounding serious and perplexed at once.

"What is it?", asked him Barret.

The soldier seemed hesitant. "There is no sign of leadership other than the individual in the monitors, but they only made themselves known twice. There is also no way for them to relay orders in secret, because no one was carrying a Duel Disk in the lower regions. Yet in spite of all that, their attacks are coordinated!".

Barret pondered on it. It was true the residents of this Synchro Dimension were strangely coordinated. While they were still on the Commons' District, Barret had noticed how reinforcements would arrive just in the nick of time, or how good his wannabe assailant was at tracking him down. Combined with the stolen Duel Disks, Seal Cards and the unreasonable presence of music during the entire operation… His eyes widened in realization. _Could all this be a secret communication code?!_

Suddenly everything clicked. The music symbolized which areas were under the citizens' control. The Duel Disks were taken to prevent contact with the Academia. The citizens were shouting "It's a Revolution!" when they were initiating an ambush to alert all nearby areas of their actions, and thus alert them whether they needed reinforcements or not. The assailant(s) were following the oldest trick in the book – take out the leaders first, then the others are easy pickings. The person in charge must have had a way to monitor everyone, and their shouts of "It's a Revolution!", signaled the next phase of their plans.

As if to confirm his thoughts, as soon as the Antique Gear Chaos Giants were summoned and everyone waited for the power to come back on, the voice from the monitor was heard once again, and a few moments later any and all access to the Duel Palace and to the wormhole was cut off, and the Commons' District with the Tops' regions were reconnected.

"You bastards are Academia?". Barret and his squad turned around, only to find themselves face-to-face with an explosive Jack Atlas.

This war had truly started with a "Bang!", and the explosions would not cease until one enemy was completely exterminated. And among the now constantly shifting duel lanes…

"DUEL!".


	2. Day 2

**Disclaimer : I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.  
**

* * *

 **Day 2: Yesterday**

Yesterday, Sora was faced with a dilemma.

It all started with a shocking realization – Yuzu is his _friend_. He was not sure when exactly he started considering Yuya and Yuzu to be his friends, but he was sure about when he realized it. He realized it when he found out that the Professor was after her. Why would the Professor be after Yuzu? What did he want with her? She was completely unrelated!

Those were the thoughts that had plagued Sora for the past few days, looking across the Dimensions for her, hoping to strike a deal. He would give Serena to the Professor, thus completing his mission, and in return he would beg him to leave Yuzu out of this.

Bargaining with the Professor was completely unheard of. The Professor's word was the ultimate law, he ruled over Academia – no, the Fusion Dimension with an iron fist. However, Sora did not see any other option there.

He eventually managed to track down not only Yuzu, but Yuya as well. This Synchro Dimension was absolutely insane. They deliberately made dueling more dangerous than ever… He was lucky he managed to save her.

Then he found Yuya. He explained his plans to him, fully expecting that he would agree. He did _not_. "I'm not handing over Yuzu or Serena to that prison of an Academia!". And then he let himself be taken prisoner. For him, Sora. After entrusting him with Yuzu's safety.

Yesterday was a day of tough choices.

Today… Sora knew that he had made the right one. And he would stick to it at all costs.

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 **Author Notes : For starters, sorry for not putting a disclaimer in the last chapter. Also, about the length and the late update... I'm not going to apologise about the update because I have a lot of projects. As for the length... Most days will be more or less as short as this one, however, there will be exceptions, such as the first chapter. I hope you like my stories nonetheless.**

 **Please review!**


	3. Day 3

**Disclaimer : I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.**

* * *

 **Day 3: Fairytale**

In most fairytales, the princess was a damsel in distress that needs rescuing from an evil king / wizard / witch / dragon / spell who cursed her / abducted her for some reason, and it is always a charming prince or a knight that comes to her rescue, and that is the end of it. Oh – also, she eventually marries and then they live "happy ever after".

Well, for Hiiragi Yuzu, things were not exactly so clean cut… Instead of a princess locked away in a castle – not that she had not more or less been in this situation less than twenty four hours earlier – she felt more like a solo, unwilling at first, not-so-secret agent on a dangerous mission who ended up being somehow accompanied and repeatedly rescued by an honest to Goodness Deus Ex Machina.

She also had to explain the situation to Uncle Yusho and Asuka-san. There is also that.

Approximately a few hours later, after Asuka-san and Uncle Yusho managed to get over their initial confusion at seeing Hugo, and had been given a complete report of how _exactly_ the two of them had ended up being involved in the Inter-Dimensional War, they waited for the reaction of the entire Fusion Branch of the You Show Duel School.

"So you mean to tell me", started Uncle Yusho, looking tired "that you, young man, had your dear one kidnapped by another boy who looks like my son under Akaba Leo's orders…"

"My dear one?!", spluttered Hugo with a blush.

"…and somehow, your Dragon led you to the XYZ Dimension just like Smile World wrapped me here…"

"Um, yeah…", commented Hugo, not even being familiar with the card in question, much less its apparent magical properties.

"There, you ran into the Resistance, and after being tricked into dueling _yet another_ young man who looks like Yuya, Joeri used the opportunity to abduct Ruri…"

"This is what we think.", reminded him Yuzu.

"After discovering the kidnapping, the Resistance thought that you were the one responsible. At the same time, they found out that Akaba Reiji was Akaba Leo's son, and Ute along with Kurosaki Shun went to Standard and started attacking members of LDS…".

Yuzu nodded. "However, somehow Akaba Reiji found him and he joined LDS to fight Sora…".

"Sora is a former Academia agen, correct?".

"Um. He betrayed the Academia while we were in the Synchro Dimension.".

"So you, Yuya and Noboru entered the Tournament, whch was an attempt of Akaba Reiji to gather the Lancers, and that was when you met Serena and Hugo and were wrapped to the Synchro Dimension… And Jean-Michel Roget, an Academia traitor decided to capture you as a bargaining chip, which he eventually managed, but you and Hugo were wrapped here in the Fusion Dimension, while Selena was captured by the Academia…".

"Yeah.", said Hugo. "Now we don't know where the other Lancers are supposed to be… or that creep, _Joeri…_ ". He growled the latter part.

For a few moments eeryone stayed silent.

…

"This has nothing to do with your regular "save the damsel in distress mission", does it?".

So much for a fairytale ending.


	4. Day 4 and Day 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.  
**

* * *

 **Day 4: Costume and Day 5: Uniform**

Edo was used to getting weird looks.

That being said, the Resistance Camp took the cake; sure, he was an enemy just a few hours ago, but everyone was staring at him as if he were an alien. Not as in, a "person from a different dimension" alien, but as in "really _really_ weird" alien. To their defense, Noroma-chan – erm, _Noru Mamoru_ – was getting similar looks, but _he_ was shouting about the soup being five minutes late in the same panicked manner he was shouting about falling behind schedule in the ARC Area Project. _DOESN'T COUNT._

Point was, as Edo was trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings and organize the _former_ Academia soldiers and the Resistance at once – for a rebel group with no command chain, they were _extremely_ disciplined – the odd looks he was getting were starting to make him feel awkward. Heck, even the _Tyler sisters_ were throwing glances at him!

Perhaps a small break to introduce himself to the civilians in a proper manner was in order.

Before he knew it, it was a good two hours he was running around trying to keep up with the busy schedule of the Resistance refugee camp, which included rotating shifts, taking care of injured an patients, providing food and generally experience what could only be described as the life of a social worker in a nutshell.

"This is exhausting…", he groaned to himself.

"Hey, sir. Nice suit.".

Surprised, Edo looked down at his feet to see a tiny boy staring at him wide-eyed, looking like the personification of innocent curiosity.

 _So_ that's _why everybody is staring at me…_ He had not been seen without the cape that showed his rank in Academia for a full year now. He stared down at his outfit. A grey silk suit of excellent quality with a sharp cut, complete with golden militaristic trimmings and a high collar. Heh. He had not realized how nice it looked. In comparison, the cape of the Commander-in-Chief looked lame. It was much easier to move without the extra layer. It was as if he was a little boy wearing his daddy's jacket, playing pretend that he was all grown up and serious even though the jacket was bigger than him. As if he was wearing a costume.

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it.", he replied with a smile.

The uniform was a costume, and now his suit would be his new uniform. Militaristic but independent. No more playing pretend.

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 **Please review!**


	5. Day 8

**Disclaimer : I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.**

 **Author Note: Even thought the challenge ended years ago, rekindled interest in the fandom lead me to publishing my unfinished works. Please enjoy them.**

* * *

 **Day 8: Reunion**

First it was Selena with Layra. The former Academia soldier had been extremely worried for this little boy ever since she met him – even more so, now that they were in this ruthless and unfair Synchro Dimension. And yet, even through all the fog that clouded her vision and the white-hot weakness that ran through her veins and forced her on her knees, Layra was so strong…

Seconds later was her reunion with Tsukikage, the ninja who had saved her life countless times in the past. He offered them both a way out, away from the greedy clutches of Roget's hands and his maddening manipulations behind the scenes, away from the place that was supposed to be the entrance to Hell. It was an offer she gladly accepted.

It felt like hours later, when her reunion with Yuya happened. He came in crashing on his Duel Runner, shocking the Obelisk Force soldiers, and with a move that seemed to echo Reiji himself, he managed to summon Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion _and_ Enlightenment Paladin on the field at once. She wondered briefly if she could ever become this strong.

Yet in sharp contrast, whereas Yuya had brought her joy, _this_ man brought her guilt and pain. _Barrett_. He walked into the abandoned subway station looking as determined as ever. He came in with a single order: retrieve Hiiragi Yuzu and Selena. He also told her that if she were to surrender peacefully, he would ask the Professor to allow her to fight in the front lines, just as she had always wanted.

If she had the strength to laugh, she would have done so. To think that a mere week ago this had been her wish! How could she fight against Kurosaki now that she knew his pain? How could she sell out Yuzu when she had risked her life to help her? How could she invade the Synchro Dimension when they had offered her their homes, when they were fighting for the same things _she_ had always fought for; freedom and equality. How could she betray the Lancers when they were the only people who had ever truly _cared_? How could she fight with the Academia now that she knew the truth?

Selena wanted to share all those thoughts with Barrett. She really did, but that nerve gas stripped her of all the strength to do so. Therefore, she summed all up, she put all of her thoughts in one phrase. "I refuse to be the underling of the devil.".

Barrett was a painful reminder of her past, of the dreams she used to have. Barrett was the only person other than the Lancers who had ever cared for her, and to see him overpower Yuya so completely, yet still acknowledge him as a honorable warrior for his resolve… Just how determined were those two to protect her?

 _So much guilt…_

The Obelisk Force advanced towards her. Layra could not fight any longer. He had already fought for long enough as it was. It was over.

And then _Shiun'in Sora_ jumped in. The last time she had seen him, he acted every tiny bit like the cruel hunters that the Academia soldiers were said to be; when in the world did he become an ally?! And why did he choose to betray the Academia? A new thought occurred to her: Selena herself was precious to the Professor, so they had to get her back unharmed even if she had betrayed them and joined the Lancers. What would happen if she were anyone else…?

"Oh? So that means that you've betrayed the Professor?". _Who. Is. That?_ A complete stranger. She could hear Yuya exclaiming in shock that he had the same face as himself. The new arrival was wearing a purple Academia uniform – the highest rank, those who only took orders from the Professor and reported directly to him and him alone. She overheard Barrett say "tch" in dislike. "To betray the Professor while wearing an Academia uniform…", continued the teen, sounding almost lazy as he said it and not paying the slightest attention to everyone else present. "Do you think that would ever be forgiven?"

The statement sent a chill up her spine – and she was not the only one.

He continued taunting her, turning to her all of his attention. He wanted to _duel_ and he did not care for anything else. And worst of all, she had this nagging feeling that _she knew him…_

And then Yugo crashed in, seeking for revenge. The duels went to hell very fast after that.

And as the sky filled with lightning and a portal swallowed it whole, as the boys chanted like possessed, as _Yuzu_ came out of nowhere and then that insane man who almost murdered her, Serena not for the first time wished that they had never been separated.


	6. Day 9

**Disclaimer : I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.**

* * *

 **Day 9: Void**

Grey. That was all he could see in what could once be called a city. All that there was, and all that would ever be. Perhaps the "had been" was different. Perhaps there was paint covering the steel frames and skeletons of the buildings instead of ash. Perhaps there was once been water flowing from the fountain. Now there was no fountain – only the water. Was it drinkable? Nobody cared – there was no other water source in the entire city. He did not try to find out. His throat was just dry. He did not need to drink. He took a gulp nonetheless. There was ash mixed in it. Just like everything else in here.

What was this place he had found himself in? Was it Hell? No – the fires had gone out a long time ago; there was nothing left to be burned. Was it Purgatory? No – there was no salvation for the dead here. This place was simply the Graveyard. The graves were scattered all over the place, if one simply tried to look closely. No names.

The roars of the dragons were the only prayers. One of them spoke of redemption. Another one of lamentation. Everything else? Rage.

 _We have lost everything._

 _There was nothing to begin with._

The graves had few visitors. There was the occasional speck of light somewhere. Trails and tracks standing out against the forgotten paths. The visitors stopped caring after a while. The dead never cared to begin with. _They could not._

Even time itself, here, was at a standstill. There was no change between the day and the night.

There was a tower in the middle of the city. There used to be a heart on top of it. There is no heart now. There is no need for a heart that is not beating.

"Where am I?!",. The strength of the voice for a single instant filled the empty ruins, before it was answered by a hollow echo.

"Heartland.".

Welcome to the void Capital of Despair.


End file.
